There is wide spread use of cable assemblies in the electronics industry. An assembly includes an insulated wire cable having a connector terminated at both ends. The cable includes insulation surrounding a plurality of individual insulated wires and in many instances also includes a ground braid. One way of terminating the wires within the cable is achieved by soldering exposed sections of the individual wires to the selected terminals. The ground braid is electrically connected to ground by means of a bare wire having one end wrapped around and soldered to the braid and the other end soldered to ground. The terminated cable exits a connector housing along one of the sides thereof. When using the cable assembly, it is often necessary to route the cable in a direction different from that with which it exits the connector housing. If the change in direction is relatively abrupt, such as bending the cable to run at essentially right angles to the housing side wall, considerable strain is placed on the end of the cable, the electrical connections within the connector and particularly at the place where the cable exits the housing. The strain may cause the outer insulating cover of the cable to pull away from the housing thus exposing the ground braid and or portions of the insulated wires. It is desirable, therefore, to provide some kind of strain relief for the cable as it exits the housing.
One way of providing strain relief for cables includes the use of additional members such as clamps, covers or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,005, for example discloses cover members used for strain relief. U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,787 discloses a strain relief that is integral with the connector housing and extends outwardly from one opposite sides thereof and along a length of cable to prevent bending of the conductors with respect to the housing. The use of additional members or outwardly extending members increases the bulk of the terminated cable assembly and increases the costs of manufacturing and assembly.
Another way to provide strain relief is by the use of a potting material or the like to surround the area of termination and that portion of the cable that extends into a cable terminating cavity. One problem associated with potting material is that it may not adhere well to the insulating cover of the cable, particularly if the cover is made of TEFLON.RTM. or similiar materials, which are difficult to adhere to other materials. (TEFLON.RTM. is a trademark of E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company.)
To alleviate the above-referenced problems, it is desirable to provide a connector housing having a means for strain relief that readily allows the cable to be bent at a sharp angle.
It is also desirable that the means for providing strain relief be compact and not greatly increase the size of the connector.
It is further desirable that the strain relief be sufficient to minimize stress on the cable and particularly the soldered interconnections, if the cable is pulled or tugged with excessive force from vertical and/or horizonal directions.
It is also desirable to provide strain relief for a cable assembly that is cost effective to manufacture and assemble.